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All Stories: Ready to explore?

Human rights stories are all around us. We explore contemporary and historic human rights stories, from Canada and around the world.

What led to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?

By Jeremy Maron

A large crowd of people of all ages carrying food and belongings walk toward the camera on a long dirt road through a bright green landscape of grass and bushes. The road and the crowd extend far into the distance. Partially obscured.

Voices of women and girls enslaved in war

By Isabelle Masson

A woman is holding a baby, while four men in army fatigues stand beside and behind her. They are all standing in front of a forest, posed for the camera. Partially obscured.

Rohingya women call for justice

By Paula Kelly

A group of Rohingya women and men carry young children and belongings as they walk in a line over an earthen dike over a stretch of water. Partially obscured.

The Winnipeg General Strike

By Travis Tomchuk

A large crowd gathered on a street Partially obscured.

The symbol of Pride

By Karine Duhamel

Two large Pride flags waving proudly in a large crowd. Partially obscured.

Jody Williams and the campaign to ban landmines

By Julia Peristerakis

A woman sitting on a chair with hands clasped looks thoughtfully ahead, as if answering a question. Partially obscured.

The Sharpeville Massacre

By Matthew McRae

People stand in front of a row of coffins. Partially obscured.

Five women all Canadians should know

By Matthew McRae

Six red dresses are suspended in air on hangers in front of a backdrop. The backdrop features an image of a birch wood forest with more red dresses hanging in it. Partially obscured.

Canadian civil rights trailblazers

By Jason Permanand

A black and white photo of a movie theatre audience. The picture is taken from the front of the theatre looking towards the back, so the faces of the audience can be seen. Potted palm trees line the walls on each side. Partially obscured.

The Two Row Wampum

By Karine Duhamel

An image being projected onto a curved wall that is about nine feet tall. It is made up of many small squares and has the appearance of Indigenous bead work or a mosaic. The image is mainly made up of white squares, but it also features two thick blue horizontal lines that run parallel to each other. Partially obscured.

Fighting for a vision of a free and democratic Russia

Des roses rouges et blanches fanées dans un vase. En arrière-plan, on voit la cathédrale Saint-Basile sur la place Rouge, à Moscou, avec ses multiples coupoles et dômes, qui rappellent un feu de camp montant vers le ciel. Partially obscured.

Canada’s Indian residential schools: Childhood denied

A group of boys in pyjamas kneel on single beds, heads bowed and hands clasped as if in prayer. A woman stands in the room, her hands clasped in the same way. Partially obscured.

The story of Black slavery in Canadian history

By Steve McCullough and Matthew McRae

Rusted iron manacles hang on hooks on a plain white wall. Partially obscured.

The story of Nelson Mandela

By Matthew McRae

Un homme et une femme levant le poing en signe de victoire, suivis d’une grande foule. Partially obscured.

Bringing the potlatch home

By Matthew McRae

A black and white image of an elderly woman with white hair holding a mask that is shaped and painted to represent a bird’s head. It features a long beak with an open mouth and feathers attached to the top of the head. The woman is looking directly at the mask she is holding. Partially obscured.

Making Mandela: Struggle for Freedom

By Matthew McRae

A man and a woman sit in chairs facing each other. There is a microphone on a stand positioned between them. There are also large lights on both sides of the woman’s chair, which are pointed towards the man. Partially obscured.

Armin Wegner: Witness to the Armenian Genocide

" " Partially obscured.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A person woman-presenting holds a large piece of paper covered with text and a large title reading "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Partially obscured.

Viola Desmond: One woman’s resistance

A head-and-shoulder portrait of Viola Desmond framed by a vertical purple rectangle. Viola is wearing a white top. Partially obscured.

Powered by love: Grandmothers fighting HIV/AIDS

By Matthew McRae

A head-and-shoulders portrait of Gogo Gladys Tyophol. She is wearing glasses and a blue patterned kerchief wrapped around her head. Her shirt says GAPA and a red AIDS ribbon is attached to her sweater. Partially obscured.

What led to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?

By Jeremy Maron

Learn how division, dehumanization and incitement of hatred set the stage for genocide.

Human rights violations

A large crowd of people of all ages carrying food and belongings walk toward the camera on a long dirt road through a bright green landscape of grass and bushes. The road and the crowd extend far into the distance.

Voices of women and girls enslaved in war

By Isabelle Masson

Grace and Evelyn were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda when they were just girls. They managed to find their way back to freedom but have faced many new struggles since they returned home.

A woman is holding a baby, while four men in army fatigues stand beside and behind her. They are all standing in front of a forest, posed for the camera.

Rohingya women call for justice

By Paula Kelly

A group of Rohingya women and men carry young children and belongings as they walk in a line over an earthen dike over a stretch of water.

The Winnipeg General Strike

By Travis Tomchuk

Collective rights

A large crowd gathered on a street

The symbol of Pride

By Karine Duhamel

The story of the iconic rainbow Pride flag. Created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, it is now a worldwide symbol of the fight for 2SLGBTQI+ rights.

Collective rights

Two large Pride flags waving proudly in a large crowd.

Jody Williams and the campaign to ban landmines

By Julia Peristerakis

Human rights promotion

A woman sitting on a chair with hands clasped looks thoughtfully ahead, as if answering a question.

The Sharpeville Massacre

By Matthew McRae

Discover how the South African government’s murderous response to peaceful protest inspired local and international action against apartheid.

People stand in front of a row of coffins.

Five women all Canadians should know

By Matthew McRae

The year 2016 marks a century since women in Canada first got the right to vote and so it seems like a fine time to celebrate the achievements of Canadian women.

Sexual diversity rights

Six red dresses are suspended in air on hangers in front of a backdrop. The backdrop features an image of a birch wood forest with more red dresses hanging in it.

Canadian civil rights trailblazers

By Jason Permanand

For her courage and tenacity, we remember Viola Desmond as a Canadian civil rights pioneer. But did you know she was not the first Black Canadian who fought against segregated theatres?

Collective rights

A black and white photo of a movie theatre audience. The picture is taken from the front of the theatre looking towards the back, so the faces of the audience can be seen. Potted palm trees line the walls on each side.

The Two Row Wampum

By Karine Duhamel

The Two Row Wampum, known as Teiohate Kaswenta in the Mohawk language, tells the story of an agreement between Indigenous people and the Dutch. The agreement is founded upon the respectful co‐existence of two different nations.

Collective rights

An image being projected onto a curved wall that is about nine feet tall. It is made up of many small squares and has the appearance of Indigenous bead work or a mosaic. The image is mainly made up of white squares, but it also features two thick blue horizontal lines that run parallel to each other.

Fighting for a vision of a free and democratic Russia

Explore the motivation, inspiration and hope that sustain Kara-Murza’s courageous fight for human rights and democracy in Russia.

Civil and political rights

Des roses rouges et blanches fanées dans un vase. En arrière-plan, on voit la cathédrale Saint-Basile sur la place Rouge, à Moscou, avec ses multiples coupoles et dômes, qui rappellent un feu de camp montant vers le ciel.

Canada’s Indian residential schools: Childhood denied

A story about Indian residential schools and their legacy

Human rights violations

A group of boys in pyjamas kneel on single beds, heads bowed and hands clasped as if in prayer. A woman stands in the room, her hands clasped in the same way.

The story of Black slavery in Canadian history

By Steve McCullough and Matthew McRae

Canada celebrates being a destination for Americans who escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. But slavery was also part of Canada’s history for more than 200 years.

Human rights violations

Rusted iron manacles hang on hooks on a plain white wall.

The story of Nelson Mandela

By Matthew McRae

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing South Africa’s apartheid system. He refused to give up his efforts to achieve equality for all people.

Civil and political rights

Un homme et une femme levant le poing en signe de victoire, suivis d’une grande foule.

Bringing the potlatch home

By Matthew McRae

Cultural rights

A black and white image of an elderly woman with white hair holding a mask that is shaped and painted to represent a bird’s head. It features a long beak with an open mouth and feathers attached to the top of the head. The woman is looking directly at the mask she is holding.

Making Mandela: Struggle for Freedom

By Matthew McRae

Civil and political rights

A man and a woman sit in chairs facing each other. There is a microphone on a stand positioned between them. There are also large lights on both sides of the woman’s chair, which are pointed towards the man.

Armin Wegner: Witness to the Armenian Genocide

What does it mean to stand up for human rights? Read the story of a medic who risked his own safety to document the evidence of atrocity.

Human rights violations

" "

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This world‐famous declaration is celebrated each year on International Human Rights Day.

Protection of human rights

A person woman-presenting holds a large piece of paper covered with text and a large title reading "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Viola Desmond: One woman’s resistance

Viola Desmond helped inspire Canada’s civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat in a movie theatre. Now, she is on the $10 bill.

A head-and-shoulder portrait of Viola Desmond framed by a vertical purple rectangle. Viola is wearing a white top.

Powered by love: Grandmothers fighting HIV/AIDS

By Matthew McRae

It took Gogo Gladys Tyophol many years to come to terms with the death of her only son.

Economic and social rights

A head-and-shoulders portrait of Gogo Gladys Tyophol. She is wearing glasses and a blue patterned kerchief wrapped around her head. Her shirt says GAPA and a red AIDS ribbon is attached to her sweater.